The present invention relates to an inter-line fishing rod in which a fishing line is introduced into the inside of the fishing rod and laid therein in the longitudinal direction of the rod.
An inter-line fishing rod is used for such purposes that a fishline is prevented from tangling on an obstacle around a fishing site, loosening between fishline guides and tangling on the guide.
The Japanese Utility Model Application (OPI) No. 169871/88 (the term xe2x80x9cOPIxe2x80x9d as used herein means an unexamined published applicationxe2x80x9d) discloses an inter-line fishing rod in which the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member is constituted by a ceramic fiber layer to enhance the wear resistance of the surface.
According to this proposal, the wear resistance of the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member of the inter-line fishing rod may be enhanced. However, the frictional resistance of the surface is increased to make it difficult for a user to introduce the fishline into the inside the rod. Particularly if the fishline is wet with water, the frictional resistance of the surface so high that the fishline cannot smoothly be put into and out of the rod. It was also found out by the present inventors that the smoothness of the passing fishing line was hindered by water drop inside the rod. That is, resistance is caused on the passing fishing line due to friction between the water drop and the inner circumferential surface of the rod, friction between the water drop and the fishing line and surface tension of the water drop, other than friction between the inner circumferential surface and the fishing line.
The present invention was made in order to solve the problems described above.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an inter-line fishing rod into and out of which a fishline can pass smoothly even if it is wet with water.
In order to attain the above-noted and other objects, the present invention provides a fishing rod formed by a prepreg made of a synthetic resin and high-strength fibers impregnated with the resin, in which a coating film layer made of a water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction is provided to constitute the inside circumferential surface of the rod. Since the inside circumferential surface of each tubular member of the fishing rod provided in accordance with the present invention is constituted by the coating film layer made of the water-repelling substance low in coefficient of friction, the frictional resistance of the member to the fishline is so low that it can be smoothly guided in the member to be put into and out of it.
To form the coating film layer for each tubular member of the rod, a woven or non-woven fabric made from fluoroplastic fibers, silicone fibers or the like and impregnated with resins, a sheet or tape of fluoroplastics, silicone resins or the like, or a coating paint of fluoroplastics, silicone resins or the like, or of a mixture of epoxy resins and fine grains or particles of fluorine, silicon or the like which are 10xcexc or less in diameter, can be used as material. The thickness of the coating film layer is 500xcexc or less, preferably 20 to 200xcexc. In addition, the thickness of the coating film layer is not restricted to the above-noted range, and may be less than 20xcexc.